The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab once again launched a scathing attack against Shiromani Akali Dal Badal on the issue of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.Addressing a press conference on this matter the AAP Punjab chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that yesterday BJP Punjab President Sunil Jakhar backed out from the debate invited by CM Bhagwant Mann because he possibly could not defend his former or current party and their role in all the current issues. Malvinder Kang was accompanied by Chairman Dr Sunny Ahluwalia and Spokesperson Jastej Singh.
Kang said that SAD Badal was staging a drama on the roads of Chandigarh a few days back saying that they won't let even a drop of Punjab's water go out and they won't allow the construction of the SYL canal.Kang pointed out the irony of the situation saying that on February 20, 1978 then Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal notified to acquire land for SYL under the land acquisition bill section 4.
His counterpart Haryana Chief Minister Chaudhary Devilal sang accolades of his friendship with Badal and said that thanks to that friendship he convinced Prakash Singh Badal to notify land acquisition. Kang said that notification is in the Punjab government's record and Devilal's speech is in the record of Haryana Legislative assembly proceedings.
Kang added that everyone knows that the Badal family did so to take personal benefits and favours. Balasar farm house and Gurgaon five star hotel are the result of that deal. He said that Prakash Singh Badal was well aware of the situation and Punjab's rights. Akali Dal passed the 1972 proposal of Anandpur Sahib (famously known as Anandpur da matta). But time and again the Badal family has been propagating their personal interests at the cost of Punjab and its rights.
Kang said that the people of Punjab opposed the land acquisition at the large scale and thousands of sons of Punjab died to protect the right and water of Punjab. Children of the Badal family were in America at the time when here youth of Punjab were dying to save its land and water.
Similarly, at the time of farm laws, being union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal signed these anti-farmers bills but then back paddled seeing the strength of Farmers' agitation against those bills. When farmers were able to safeguard their rights on their own and more than 700 farmers died doing so, Badals came out and said they were ready to sacrifice for Punjab.
Kang said that BJP is finished in Haryana and Akali Dal is finished in Punjab, so both the parties are trying to mislead and provoke the people of two states to pit them against each other and take political benefits. He said that CM Mann is very serious about all the issues pertaining to the state, hence he invited all the opposition leaders for a significant debate but these opposition leaders are backing out because they have skeletons in their closets.
Malvinder Kang said that Sukhbir Badal should come to join the debate on these issues with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and he should also bring documents of various properties they got in exchange of land acquisition notification.